About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 2011)
THE GRIT v c g c t a r i a n restaurant 199 prince avenue 706-543-6592 • thegrit.com open 7 days breakfast brunch lunch dinner dinner mon-fri sat-sun mon-fri sun-wed th-sat 8am-l lam 10am-3pm 11am-5pm 5pm-9:30pm 5pm-l Opm Voted Athens’ Favorite Vcgrtariun Restaurant Sc Uniquely Athens Restaurant mmm Lamp in a box (fcatariiiq The Beatles!) 458 E. Clayton St. • 706-543 4454 Mon-Sat 11-7pm • Sun12f6pm SIGALAS STUDIO.*, call for your personal appointment S che duie^aniappjointTruentloiillite: NEWS FROM THE JUICE BOX SET sitting with a beer, and it's more welcoming overall to a variety of ages. 2. Are the bathrooms tolerable? I'm never expecting a germ-free environment, but it's never fun when you walk into a bath room with a child and bark out "Don't touch ANYTHING." Never mind how this may translate to the kitchen or behind the bar. Walking into a disgusting bathroom with a child is a lesson in keeping an eye on everything, and I don't even consider myself a germophobe. I'm sure some of the moms walking around with hand sanitizer see most bar bathrooms (OK, make that ANY public bathroom) as the equivalent of that bathroom in Trainspotting. 3. What’s the crowd like? There was one point last football season when, in an attempt to meet up for dinner, my three- year-old and I walked through a downtown bar to join my husband. He was out with some other guys, and once I found him, we would head out to dinner. Well, the minute I hoisted Sofia on my shoulders to make Depending on your stance on prohibition, it’s fun to bring your kids with you to hang at a bar—or it’s the devil’s work. But in the right setting, it can be a positive experience. Four frosty pints of apple juice out of five. I once had someone tell me they could tell the quality of a supermarket not by the freshness of the produce or how fast they mopped up a spill, but by the cleanliness of the bathrooms. And as a parent, you come to appreciate this when you find yourself navi gating the aisles as fast as possible to get to one, all while pushing one of those horrid race car-shaped carts (don't even get me started on those). This being Athens—and this being the time of year when football season is right around the corner—I find myself evaluating another establishment based on the cleanliness of its bathrooms: bars. Because, no matter how you feel about football, there's probably going to be a point when you either want to hang with some childless friends or want to hang some place where the adult-to-kid ratio is skewed in your favor (or, just go downtown to gawk at all the football fans). I got to thinking about the bars my husband and I might go to with our four-year-old, and it's a pretty short list. But then, I started wondering—why? What is it about one bar that makes it appropriate to bring a child, but not another? But wait, let's back up a minute. There are other, decidedly more liberal places than Georgia that have actually outlawed children in bars. Thankfully, after a look through the county's municipal code and a check with Athens-Clarke Police, it turns out there are no such restrictions on children in bars. If the establishment is carding people at the door they can, obviously, just not let the children in. But as a parent, if you want to enjoy a fall afternoon with a beer and a stroller, you're allowed. (Whew!) So, let's get back to what type of bar might be considered "family-friendly," and which . ones are best left to the kind of crowd that can't even imagine a toddler in tow. I've put together some handy-dandy tips for the next time you're headed out. Feel free to cut and paste on your fridge: 1. Does it serve food? Food seems to be the great equalizer, following an informal poll ing of my friends. If a bar serves some type of food, it's infinitely more appropriate to bring kids there. Obviously, this is border ing on being a restaurant, but it gives kids an option to nosh while the parents are our way through the crowd, I knew it was wrong. I felt like we had crashed a party for middle-aged men who like the color red. Lesson learned. 4. Don’t be annoying. By taking your child to a bar you have to understand that you're crossing that threshold into the world of the childless again, so^you have to respect that others didn't go to a bar to hear your little one whine. 5. If you’re not sure, just ask. Above all else, it never hurts to ask. Bouncers and bartend ers are nice people (really!) and they have a good sense of their clientele. So, if your child will annoy their customers or possibly break something, they'll let you know. But above all else, go with your gut. It's never cool when a parent continues to act like a college student, years after they've bought a house and had some kids. You're setting the example, first and foremost. Just don't teach your kids to dance on the tables, OK? Tristen Morales kiddiedope@llagpole.com 10 FLAGPOLE.COM AUGUST 17, 2011 KRISTEN MORALES
